Contrast
by Deandra
Summary: Lothiriel comments on the differences exhibited by her two daughters. Fluffy little ONESHOT. Part 120 of the Elfwine Chronicles.


_**Part 120 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.**_

**_A/N: Yep, Tracey's fault again... But I've gotta stop numbering these things before they're ready to go, so I don't have to post out of order when one gets stalled!_**

**Contrast**

**(May, 27 IV)**

"Mama," Morwen announced pertly, entering her mother's sitting room, "I need to get new grown-up-lady dresses. The ones I have are for little girls!"

Miren, who was sitting knitting with Lothiriel, raised an eyebrow at the statement, but kept quiet. Without looking up, Lothiriel responded, "The dresses you have are quite appropriate for a grown-up-lady, Morwen." Then, seeing the disappointment on her daughter's face, she added, "But we will consider getting some new ones. A few of the ones you have now are more proper for a younger girl."

Morwen's face lit with delight, and she eagerly hurried over to kiss her mother's cheek, "Thank you, Mama!" A moment later she was gone and Lothiriel let out a small laugh.

"A grown-up-lady?" Miren prompted, looking up from her knitting.

"Morwen has begun her monthly flow," Lothiriel explained.

"Ah!" Miren chuckled, resuming her work.

"It is far different with this daughter than my first," Lothiriel observed. "Theodwyn entered womanhood kicking, screaming and digging in her heels every step of the way, and she continues to balk at it even now. She wailed long and loud over the bodily changes she experienced, clearly marking her as a young woman, and she was greatly displeased with the expectations placed on a lady of the court. She was particularly disgruntled with the way young men began eyeing her, as well as their parents who glimpsed a possible marital prospect for their sons. Not until I had Eowyn speak with her did she begin to reconcile to it all!"

Miren laughed, then asked, "And Morwen?"

"As you see! She thinks it is all quite wonderful, and would willingly speed up the process if she could do so. She checks her looking glass constantly for any evidence of changes that mark the furthering of her goal to be a 'grown-up-lady'. In many ways, with so many sons to my credit, it is refreshing to have a true daughter!" She paused a moment, then admitted, "It has been a challenging, and oft-times frustrating, experience in rearing Theodwyn. Our sensibilities are so very different, that I sometimes have thought we were not even speaking the same language. Though I was never so…_feminine_ as Morwen, I better understand her, and know how to cope with her development."

"Do not worry," Miren advised. "Theodwyn will come to appreciate her womanhood in her own good time. Now that she has found a special young man, she will be glad of who she is ere long."

"Indeed, she has already begun to be so. The time she spent with Lissa, caring for the household and the children, gave her a new understanding, and touched feelings in her that have long been dormant. She is beginning to comprehend the 'maiden' aspect of being a shieldmaiden, and value it as worthwhile."

"You see? There is something of you in your children after all! Rohan did not entirely prevail!" Miren teased.

The two women burst into laughter, continuing with their work, but Lothiriel smiled contentedly. Yes, she was well pleased with her little family. Well pleased indeed.

THE END

1/22/07

Theodwyn is 19, Morwen is 13 - Freawine/Theodwyn married in Dec, 27 IV

**_End note:  It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content._**


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